Hatred&Redemption
by xEffrontery
Summary: A ruthless killer meets her match in a hardheaded guard. Together they end up saving the world as they know it from Oblivion. However, that's not to say they won't kill each other trying.
1. Chapter 1

Her mother had always told her to never rely on the Nine. They never answered prayers. It was a statement that wound its way deep into her heart. And so far, the statement had stood the test of time. None of her prayers had been answered; not the one when she begged for her mother's life to be spared and certainly not when she found herself on death's door. It was not by the power of the Nine she was saved from most certain demise, but rather by the power of the Daedric Princes.

Since that day, the Bosmer never forgot how the Nine shunned her, turning their backs on her when her faith could have been restored had they answered. She instead took interest in serving Sanquine. At first she had felt guilty, stealing away lives and getting paid in gold for her crimes, but after this many years at her job, she had been hardened.

Now as she looked at herself in the mirror, wiping away dried blood, she saw no emotion. Her grey eyes were hard like steel, the scars across her face silvery lines representing the numerous times she had been hurt, and the raven hair on her head was as wild as her spirit. There was no remorse in this creature that studied herself, fingering the silver rings pierced through one pointed ear. There was no ability to feel guilt. Blood had washed both away, leaving a ruthless killer behind in the shell of what was once a loving wood elf.

The Nine did this to her. She knew it and so she swore vengeance against them, ignoring anything that could be taken as a sign from them. They were the reason behind her pain, her coldness, the emptiness inside that only dreamless sleep could ease. Chapped lips pressed themselves into a tight line at the thoughts. She would find a way to bring the Nine to their knees.

A short, silver blade was tied to her hips, gently tapping with every step. The feeling was reassuring, her blade would never abandon her nor would it fail her. She was entirely confident in her companion in bloodshed and mayhem.

As she walked from the underground hideout of the Dark Brotherhood, the only sounds were echoes from below. The hum of people moving around; training, speaking, eating. Not one of the people below held any value in her mind, they were as expendable as the air. That was why she informed the guards in Cheydinhal of the hideout and was quietly slipping away a few minutes before they were to arrive. Those fools below understood nothing of her quest. No one but herself did.

Her plan was solid, there was no way to err from it now that it was in motion. Unless something unexpected happened, such as one of the soldiers clamping iron shackles to her wrists and roughly throwing her over the back of a horse, tying her to his saddle with a length of rope. She scowled, attempting to figure a way to escape and possibly slaughter the foolish man that had caught her in such a manner. Her rage increased tenfold when her blade was removed and strapped to the guard's hip instead. Her scowl turned to a snarl, then a growl. The elf was suddenly wishing for fangs and claws, she could do much more damage.

"Release me." she hissed, eyes flashing in anger.

The guard turned around and smirked. "When Oblivion freezes over elf, then I will release you. Until then, you will rot in the imperial prison."

"Bastard! I will slit your throat!"

Again the guard turned his head to glance at the reddening elf behind him. "I'd like to see you try. Now be a good girl and sit quietly. You're earning me a promotion. In fact, I should thank you."

Now she was livid. Daggers flew from her eyes as she imagined every way she could murder this man in front of her. His smirk, so broad on his cheery face, did nothing to improve her mood. If only her restraints were gone, then she could properly deal with the imbecile that spoke down to her in such a way. "You should hope I never get loose. Your head will look perfect on a stake by my bed."

Now the guard snorted with laughter and shook his head. "Listen to me woman, you watch your mouth and I'll see to it that you get the best accommodations we have in the dungeon. Keep up these threats and I'll be the one to silence you in a most painful manner. Have we reached an understanding?" Of course he intended to find the darkest, dankest cell in the entire prison and chain her to the wall. This woman was a cold-blooded killer in every sense of the title. He had heard stories of her deeds and as much as he hated to admit it, she interested him. Maybe that was why her jaw was still intact. "You should tell me your name, that way I can be sure they reserve a sunny cell for you."

His prisoner scoffed at the idea of a sunny cell and his clearly fake kindness. "My name is none of your concern, bastard." The day he found out what her mother called her would be the day he would die. That would be the gift he received as all life flooded from his body and she stood triumphant above him.

"Suit yourself. I'll just have to name you then myself." he muttered, thinking of what to call the monster behind him. He didn't get much time to think before his horse began galloping at a breakneck pace. He slowed the horse and felt the reason why. The elf was using her free legs to spur the horse on with well aimed kicks to the side. "Clever, aren't you?" he muttered to himself, pulling a pair of heavy fetters from his bag. Without getting off, he clamped the metal around the flailing feet before using a bit of extra rope to tie her wrist chains to her ankle chains.

As his hands moved over her, tying her down more and more, she hissed and saw red. Oh yes, this man would die very, very soon. Perhaps she would skin him alive? Or create tiny cuts all over his body until it was drained of precious blood. When he tightened her bonds to the point she could no longer move, she decided on removing pieces of him one by one and then setting him on fire. That would really be the best. "I swear by all that I am, you will not live much longer."

"I told you to hush. Unless you want me to find something to gag you with, you should listen to me." he sighed, urging the horse back to the road. When she said nothing for several minutes, he let his mind wander. How could one woman cause so much fear and destruction? Or were the stories he had heard false? She looked nothing like a draedra in human skin, or a devourer of her victims' flesh. He still had to name her, but what name to pick? Monster, bitch, psycho, woman, nothing came to mind that he could see himself calling her. They still had a few hours before reaching the Imperial City, he had plenty of time to think of a suiting title. She certainly seemed to have picked his name.

"Bastard. Let. Me. Go." she ground out between clenched teeth. Her vicious side was appearing, the level-headed one rapidly fading. She attempted to roll herself off the back of the horse, but the rope keeping her attached to the saddle did its job. If only she had her blade….the elf quirked up an eyebrow. Her boot knife was still in place and she could almost reach it in the position she was in. It was just a few inches from her fingertips and she decided to try escape. The ankle restraints would be a problem once she was off the horse, but that bridge she would cross when it came time to.

As her fingers grazed the top of her boots, she bit her lip in concetration. Scarlet drops fell onto the light brown horse below her, quickly turning into a small puddle. Finally, she felt the cool metal hilt and grasped at it. Her fingers hooked underneath and pulled the knife from its hidden spot. She flipped it around and cut at the ropes, first the one tying her wrists to her ankles, then the one keeping her attached to the saddle. When both were gone, she threw herself to the side as hard as she could.

For a moment it felt like she was never going to hit the ground. Freedom had never tasted so good mixed with blood, she decided moments before slamming into the ground. The instant she could recollect herself, she was up and staggering away as fast as possible. There was no looking back as she headed for the nearby woods. If she could just get there….

* * *

**AN:**

**Unfortunately, I don't own this game, just the characters I have created.**

**I've been wanting to do an Oblivion fic for a very long time and this idea just hit me. Let me know what you think about the story so far! Opinions are cherished and ideas may be included in the future. The more reviews, the faster I update!**


	2. Chapter 2

If she could just get there….

She was almost there, trees just a few feet from her. Her legs were beginning to bleed as bushes tore at the fabric. Thorns ripped through threads and shredded skin and before she could clear the dangerous shrubbery, the guard was almost on top of her.

The attacking bush did nothing to the guard, it merely glanced off his armor. Of course, it made him quite a bit slower, but his target was only moving at a brisk walk. It took only a minute to catch up to her and three seconds to bring her to the ground. He would have felt bad about tackling her into thorns, but when she sank her teeth into his hands, the pity disappeared.

"Ow! You bitch!" he howled, wrenching his hand from her teeth. He had pinned her down, sitting on her hips while her arms remained chained behind her. Despite the obvious advantage he had, she still insisted on struggling against him. He grinned down at her, noting the rage in her eyes. Too bad she was a criminal and trying to kill him, she had spirit. "Maybe I'll call you Spirit." he said. The look she gave him was priceless. She appeared to be skinning him with her eyes.

"No."

"If I tell you my name will you tell me yours?" he asked, knowing she wasn't going anywhere.

"No."

Shrugging, he got to his feet before slinging her over his shoulder. She let out a grunt when her stomach landed on the hard metal protecting his body. Thinking about her escape, he quickly pried the small dagger from her hand, forcing her fingers apart. When it got too painful for her to hold out any longer, the blade hit the ground and he immediately began walking back to his waiting horse.

Before he returned her to her place on the horse, he set her down on the road and began searching for more hidden weapons. If she had one knife in her boot, he was willing to bet there were a few more daggers tucked away just in case. Not to mention he had a feeling she would be aiming to maim or kill him next time she pulled on out.

He started with her shoes, wrestling with her legs while she thrashed. Eventually he managed to get her tall leather boots off and found one two-inch blade tucked in a sheath around her left ankle. The other leg held only and empty sheath. Tossing the small dagger away, he patted up one leg before moving to the other. The higher up his hands went, the more violent her attempts to break free became. After nearly getting kicked in the jaw, he began to get angry with her.

"Woman, you will knock this off or I swear by the Nine I will knock you out and you will wake up in a cage not fit for a dog! Do you understand me?" he hissed. Her response was a wad of spit that sailed dangerously close to his face. Then he snapped and grabbed her flailing legs with excessive force. With the way he was holding her, there would be finger-shaped bruises under her pants by the next morning. If she kept up her ways, he wasn't sure if she would live to see tomorrow. Surely he wouldn't get in trouble if he told them she had been trying to escape and so he was forced to kill her.

They both glared at each other, neither willing to be the first to look away. Finally, he sighed and went back to his task at hand, much to her displeasure. By the time he was done checking her over for hidden blades, he had amassed a small pile next to him. Convinced she was now unarmed, he threw her onto his horse, secured her to the saddle and began to trot. While he hated the feeling of trotting, he knew she was mostly getting nauseous and that made it worth it to him. They had been silent since his outburst and it was beginning to get unsettling until the elf chose to break it.

"You rat bastard. I hope you rot in Oblivion." she muttered, each word punctuated by a grunt as her chest would collide with the horse.

He smirked. "And here I thought you were going to be quiet. You know, elf, you're really just digging yourself quite a hole. If you would just stay quiet and begin to cooperate, perhaps you could undo some of the damage you have done. You want to be comfortable for the next fifty years, don't you?"

There was no reply other than a snort.

Every so often he'd hear her muttering under her breath and he'd speak out loud to her about the jails and how humid they were in the summer while the winter was bitterly cold. The only excitement that happened in four hours was a deer running across the road, which startled the horse, which made the elf get a little more rattled than planned. By the time the sun was setting, the Imperial City was in view and the murderer began to thrash about yet again. Though she managed to accomplish nothing besides draining her energy, her struggles did not cease until they were across the bridge and walking by the lake until they reached the gate closest to the prison.

"You're not getting away from me." he muttered.

"Again." she added with a smug smirk.

They reached the gate and he dismounted. Grabbing her by the hips and throwing her over his shoulder again, he was grateful she was small. He stopped in front of the door leading to the dungeon and set her down on her feet, one hand still holding onto her. There were too many guards for her to get away if she tried to shuffle away and he doubted she'd be dumb enough to try.

As she stood like a statue next to him, he noted she only came up to his shoulder. His sandy blonde hair was the opposite of her midnight strands. Dark green eyes stood out on fairly tanned skin, while her grey was washed out by a pallor she would not get rid of in the darkness below. He was bulky, from the armor he wore and the body beneath, she was slight, catlike. He used brute strength while he had no doubts she would wait in the shadows.

He was impressed that she was behaving so well despite her life as she knew it ending once that door opened. Her calm demeanor didn't last long. The second the door's hinges began to creak, he saw why there were rumors of her being a daedra. It was as if someone flipped a switch. What had once been a statue was now a rabid animal.

Limbs flailed, teeth snapped dangerously close to skin, and her hair was flying everywhere as she tried to bite anyone that came too close. He growled as she spat on him yet again and decided that was the last straw. He picked her up, walked into the dim dungeon below (not caring that her head made a sickening crack when it collided against the door frame), and found the cage they used to contain the dogs and, occasionally, uncooperative inmates. It was roughly four feet tall, wide, and long. Just barely big enough for a grown man, but for an elfin woman, he figured it would be perfect.

Only when he was about to put her inside did he realize she was no longer moving. He would have cared had spit not been sliding down his cheek just minutes ago. Instead of making sure she was still alive, he merely took the restraints off, threw a threadbare blanket into the cage, and placed her inside. A heavy padlock was clamped onto the door and he pushed her into a dark corner. In a few hours he'd come back and check on her, see if she was dead. There was no point in letting a body rot when it could just as easily be burned.

He stepped out into the light and blinked furiously before he could make out basic shapes. As his eyes adjusted, he barely recognized a guard walking towards him. He was slapped on the back and congratulated for securing a wanted criminal with such a reputation.

"Thank you, Sir. I was just doing my duty." he said.

"Well, Hale, I think a promotion is in order." The older of the two men said, rubbing the stubbly beard on his chin.

Hale grinned and shrugged, trying to pull off a nonchalant expression. He'd go down there and kiss that devil woman for this. "Thank you, Sir." he said. His smile was hard to miss as he marched into the guard quarters. A nice nap then a bath and he'd feel better than new.

It took less time for him to fall asleep than removing his boots. Once Hale shut his eyes, he was out like a light. He wasn't expecting to dream of the pit viper he had caged in the dark though.

_It was dark out, the smell of rain present. Lightning crackled far off and he was suddenly grasping at slick rock. A grunt attracted his attention and he looked for its source. He was not surprised to see her, in fact, he felt relieved that she was next to him. Why she wasn't coming at him with revenge in her eyes baffled him, but his body reached out to her. He pulled her up and over a boulder that was in their path as they climbed up a steep hill. She didn't smile but nodded her thanks, the look in her eyes held nothing aggressive towards him, she just looked tired and bruised. _

_Glancing down at his own body, he was horrified to see the armor that was once in pristine condition was now in shambles. It was riddled with craters and smears of blood or mud. He glanced back at the elf he did not, for some odd reason, feel contempt for and saw she was more banged up than he was. One eye was blackened and a fresh cut across her cheek was letting blood flow down the not quite as pale skin. Numerous cuts and bruises decorated the rest of her body he could see. She was clearly exhausted and so was he, but something was driving him forward. He felt panic at the thought of stopping, even for a moment. Was something chasing them then? Is that why they were climbing this hellish slope?_

_As he tried to understand his surroundings, his foot slipped as he attempted to step over a log and began sliding down the hill. He could have caught himself if the leaves that covered the ground like a carpet were not slick. As he slid farther down, the panic began to suffocate him. Somehow he knew a cliff was coming up and if he could not stop, he would be dead. _

_Unable to slow down or grab the foliage he was passing, he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for his life. A sudden jerk on the back of his armor forced his eyes to fly open and he twisted to see the source. Had the Nine actually saved him from death? Instead he was greeted by the elf's face, though it was contorted in pain. Her legs were wrapped around a tree and both hands were holding onto his armor. Relief flooded his body and he felt her slowly release him, making sure he wouldn't shoot off the cliff like a rocket. _

"_Thank you. I can't imagine being on this quest without you." he said, helping her to her feet. What the hell was going on now? He was thanking a demon?_

"_No problem, Hale. Just don't slip again. I don't know if my elbows can take that again." she replied, giving him a tiny smile. WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOING ON?_

_He suddenly heard a roar and turned to see a bear charging at him, paw raised. As it came down on him, he felt a crushing wave of regret wash through him. He had failed. But what he had failed, he had no clue. _

Hale jolted awake, his entire body covered in a thin film of sweat. "What the fuck."

Unable to get his heart to stop racing, his mind to stop replaying the dream over and over again, or his hands to stop shaking, he hung his head. Perhaps this dream was a sign from the Nine that his treatment of the cold-blooded killer was unacceptable. Hale got to his feet, forgetting to put his shoes on, and walked to the dungeon.

As he padded quietly down the stairs, he could barely see a thing. He must have slept for a lot longer than he meant to as it seemed to be the middle of the night. Not one torch was burning and the moon only illuminated a few of the cells. He didn't bother going down the hall, he just had to take baby steps towards the wall until he found the cage.

He knew he had found it when the metal clanged as his toes rammed into it. Pain howled through his system and he screwed his face up in pain. It was the devil woman's fault. He knew she had planned on him to stagger blindly through the dark, because as soon as his toes were on fire, an orb of green light appeared.

"Ah, bastard. I was wondering when you would come back." she had a cruel smile on her lips.

Hale sighed and crouched so he was eye level with her. "I'm moving you to a cell. Try to escape and I swear to the Nine I will kill you."

At that, he heard her laugh. It sounded cold, like ice breaking. "Don't swear on them, they will fail you." The orb of light moved so her face was only half lit. The effect had Hale feeling slightly afraid. "Only rely on yourself, Bastard, everyone else will fail you."

"I have a name you know."

"I'm sure you do, but I will still call you bastard."

"Its Hale." he said, getting a pair of handcuffs. Slipping his hands through the bars, he stared at her until the elf snarled. Instead of it progressing any further, she held out her wrists and he clamped on the heavy iron. He withdrew his hands from the cage and unlocked the padlock. As he swung open the door, he watched her like a hawk, making sure she couldn't bolt past him. When she crawled out, the orb hovering right next to her, he suddenly felt guilty. Part of her hair was matted with blood and she seemed groggy, each of her movements uncoordinated. Without a word, he scooped her up and began walking down the corridor to an empty cell.

The first empty one he came across he decided to put her in, regardless of the fact it was always supposed to be empty. Hale put her down on the makeshift bed, her muscles relaxing once he put her down. The orb faded until she couldn't keep it going any longer and it blinked out of existence. Moonlight became the primary light, casting a pale glow across everything.

Her found a pot of water and dipped a rag in it before going back to the cell. He crouched next to the elf and pressed the rag to her head, earning him a hiss. "Leave me alone." she snapped, rolling away from him. Hale sighed and gave up, as far as he was concerned, he was treating better than she deserved.

Without a word he left and locked the cell behind him. That woman was the bane of his existence at this point, but he could not get that dream out of his mind. Something about it was too realistic to be shrugged off.

* * *

**AN: I do not own Oblivion. **

**I have a lot planned for this story and I really do love it. I hope all my readers enjoy it as much as I do. Again, suggestions and ideas are welcome. Constructive criticism is appreciated. **

**R&R **


	3. Chapter 3

Something about it was too realistic to be shrugged off.

By the next morning the dream was almost entirely forgotten. Hale was given so many jobs to do before noon, he could barely think. He felt like a chicken running about with its head cut off. If there was one thing he absolutely hated, it was busy work.

After cleaning the quarters and breaking up a fight, he was excited for a few minutes to sit, but was quickly interrupted by a commotion. Peeking his head out of the room he had spent two hours cleaning earlier, he spotted a group of Blades, which was odd, but what really got his attention was the Emperor with them. What was going on that the Emperor was being ushered into the dungeon?

Curiosity might have killed the cat, but it only got Hale involved in the biggest mess of his life.

He rushed to put his armor on and grab his weapons. When he could not get his bracer on for the life of him, Hale ground his teeth in frustration and chose to leave it behind. The next thing to get were his weapons, the sword and the dagger he carried just in case. His eyes landed on the elf's blade and he hesitated. Something was telling him to bring it, but he stood rooted to the spot. When the feeling began to make him feel sick, he grabbed the short sword with a sigh. Instantly he felt better and Hale shook his head. If the Nine were behind this, he hoped they knew what they were doing.

He clanked down the dungeon stairs and hit level ground at a jog. What if he couldn't catch up to them? Where were they going? What was he doing? So many questions plagued his mind that he gave up and stopped thinking entirely. He almost ran past the woman's cell, but glanced in just before going on. The sight that greeted him stopped him dead in his tracks.

One wall was gone and so was his prisoner. He looked down the hall and saw no one. Perhaps the hole in the wall was where the Emperor was now. Taking a chance, Hale rushed into the cell and through the hole. The further he traveled into the unknown the lighter it became until he could suddenly see. His prisoner was kicking a door, but it was otherwise empty.

"What do you think your doing?" he asked.

She froze and turned to look at him. Her eyes went wild, searching for an escape route. She found one and sprinted for the hole in the wall. "Leave me the fuck alone and we won't have problems down here, Bastard."

He raced after her, almost catching a fistful of hair. Instead of getting enough to jerk her to a halt, he ripped a chunk out of her head. The resulting hiss was all he heard in the darkness they had ran into before his cheek was burning. "Did…did you just slap me?" he asked, laughing at the thought.

The answer was a fist connecting with his face. For someone of such slight frame, she packed a surprising amount of force behind a fist. His jaw was going to ache for at least a day. He felt the air around his face displace and ducked in time for the fist to pass over his head. A grunt was heard when he rammed into the elf and tackled her to the ground. It was harder than he thought to fight in the dark. "What happened to your handcuffs?" Hale was suddenly baffled how her hands were free.

"Lockpick I had tucked away for emergency use only." she replied and he could hear the smirk in her voice. She had probably stuffed it into the mess of hair and he would never had found it, even if he had searched.

While he had her torso pinned, he hadn't thought about her arms until he had nails scratching into his neck. His hands wrapped around her tiny wrists easily and forced them to the ground by her head. "Use the light spell, I can't see a thing." he ordered and to his surprise, she complied.

Of course, he assumed she had planned his reaction to the sudden orb of blinding light in his face would be to release her and move backwards. Soon she was up and running again, disappearing around a corner. The light began to fade and Hale picked himself up. That little witch was going to pay…just as soon as he could something other than a giant spot.

He stumbled blindly through the tunnels before finally catching up to the elf. She was being swarmed with rats and while punching them was keeping some at bay, she was in bad shape without a weapon. Hale moved in, sword held in both hands. He shoved her out of the way and with grunt he dispatched several of the rats. The others scampered off and Hale turned to look at the woman he had just saved.

She was too close to him for it not to be suspicious and he soon figured out what she was doing. Before he could stop her she pulled her blade free from his belt and smirked at him. She looked ready to fight and he hoped she'd hold back until he could stand completely upright. To his surprise, she took off farther into the underground maze and he had to follow, she had the light.

She rounded a corner and the light suddenly winked out. Hale swore under his breath and slowed to walk on tiptoe. If she was going to kill him like a coward in the dark, he'd be sure to haunt her as a ghost. Instead, he ran into her and she pressed a finger to his lips before moving forward. If he hadn't known she was there ahead of him, he would have never guessed an armed Bosmer was three feet away.

They came across a fire and Hale knew why she had taken away the light and told him to be quiet. There were goblins somewhere around here. He had seen plenty of Goblin wounds on his fellow guards and had no desire to receive one himself. "Where do you think they are?" he whispered.

The look she gave him was bone chilling. His voice echoed into the dark and all of a sudden a shriek ran out before the sound of running. A goblin rounded the corner and was quickly dispatched by an angry elf with a sword. Hale blinked in surprise before running to the area the goblin had been. He was greeted by light and groaned, blinking furiously.

The light became tolerable and Hale looked around the stone room he was in. He was staring at the Emperor and fewer Blades than he remembered. The elf woman came to stand in front of him, though she was well out of arm's reach. He didn't pay much attention to her, as he was busy approaching the Emperor.

The Blades immediately drew their weapons and threatened to kill him, but Uriel Spetim VII stopped them. He insisted that both he and the elf were trustworthy, which garnered complaints from the Blades and a snort from Hale.

"Your highness, I really don't think you should trust the Bosmer. She's a dark brotherhood member." Hale said.

The Emperor looked at the woman in question. She was standing with one hand on her hip and the other was wrapped tightly around the hilt of her weapon. She looked menacing, but his dream was a sign from the Nine and they did not make mistakes. She was crucial to the survival of the kingdom. "I trust her. Come, let us continue on."

Hale followed as they went through a final door and ended up in what seemed to be a dead end. "This is where we were going? An underground dead end?" he muttered. As he looked around the stone room, he noticed the elf speaking to the Emperor with a very sour face. What could the ruler of the kingdom possibly want with the wood elf that was clearly insane.

"I do not trust in the Nine, but I will do what you asked of me. In return for my freedom, I suppose I can help your kingdom." She said suddenly, earning a soft smile from the older man.

As soon as she was done speaking, a part of the wall opened and a man in robes jumped out. Baurus turned and saw the assassin coming, but could only watch with wide eyes as a blade dug itself deep into the flesh of Uriel Septim. The room suddenly fell silent as the body of the man he was sworn to protect slumped to the ground, unmoving.

Hale felt like he was moving in slow motion as the robed man's blade plunged into the Emperor. He let out an anguished cry and fell upon the assassin like a starved lion upon an injured deer. He felt rage pour off him as he slammed his fists over and over again into the mass of fabric beneath him. It was only when Baurus pulled him off the unmoving lump that Hale felt tears stinging his eyes. His job was to protect the kingdom from mayhem and he had just watched the spark that lead to utter destruction of the land he loved. He looked at his prisoner and snarled when she was completely unmoved by the events that had just unfolded.

Instead of speaking to the clearly grieving Blade cradling the body of a ruler, she stepped around him to the way out of the room. "Lets go, Hale." she said, startling everyone in the room when she spoke. With that, she walked out of sight and left the people in the room behind.

Hale was still in shock she had used his name. He thought she had forgotten everything that he had said to her in the past two days. Apparently not. He looked one last time on the dead Emperor, the feeling of failure settling like a lead weight on his chest, before hurrying off after the woman he always seemed to be chasing.

"What are you doing? Where do you think you're going?" he snapped, racing after her. She had gotten further in the short period of time than he would have given her credit for.

She paused and looked at him. "I'm doing what I was told to do by the man who just died. In exchange for my freedom and a full pardon for my crimes, I have to deliver this amulet," she held up a necklace with a red rock in the middle. "to some guy named Jauffre at the Weynon Priory."

Hale had a feeling this was going to be a long walk to Chorrol. He hoped they would at least end up with an easy, quiet trip. Something in his gut told him no, that was not what was going to happen. The feeling of something bad happening was resting on his shoulders like a cloak.

They had walked through sewer for what felt like hours when there was suddenly a bright light ahead of them. He stepped towards it as the Elf hesitated behind him. He wasn't sure what she was doing back there, but since she had yet to kill him, he decided she wasn't about to decapitate him and put his head on a spike like she had threatened. At least, not yet.

He crawled through the cramped tube and stepped out onto a lakeside beach. "Wow." he said, staring at the world in front of him. He hadn't expected to miss it this badly after being underground for a few hours. He wondered what prisoners released from the dank dungeon felt when the got back their freedom.

"Ready?" she asked, not waiting for him to answer. Already she was walking in the sand by the water. Hale felt guilt again as he watched her take in the outside world with deep regard. The feeling of wind whipping through the air and sun beating down on her seemed to take the edge off.

He followed and wondered briefly if she even knew where she was walking to. Currently they were headed south. "Hey, Chorrol is that way." he pointed behind him and heard her laugh.

"I'm not going on some batshit crazy quest. Good luck with that." she said and dropped the amulet to the ground. Hale quickly retrieved it and put it in a pouch. How could she shrug off the safety of the land?

He grabbed her arm and yanked, pulling her almost completely off her feet. He had wisely chosen her sword hand and so he wasn't worried about immediately being stabbed through the gut. "You're coming with me to finish this. Or I'll bring you right back to that cage." he threatened and saw her grin at him.

"You won't do that because you have compassion. I knew I wouldn't spend a full night in that thing and I know you don't have the balls to bring me back there and leave me. So let me go on my way and I'll let you keep your head." she replied.

His fingers tightened around her arm and she growled at him. Hale would have released her, but another plan came to mind. He pulled her to him, picked her up, and flung her over his shoulder. Just like the first time they had met. It was a surprise she didn't immediately begin assaulting his head, but his surprise didn't last long. Luckily, he had armor everywhere she could reach. "Keep going, feels nice."

He heard he growl and decided not knowing her name had gone on long enough. "Tell me your name."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

Hale jostled her around a little. "Tell me or I will have to torture it out of you."

She was silent for thirty seconds before laughing. "No."

He shrugged and walked to the lake. There he waded out a little ways and flung her down. The splash and her shriek was well worth the water seeping into his boots. "Tell me."

"You threw me in a lake! I'm not telling you shit. Bastard!" she snapped, trying to get up. He put a foot on her chest and pushed her back down.

"Tell me."

Snarling, she shoved his foot off her and got to her feet. Enraged, she stomped towards dry land. She had just walked past him when he grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Before she could steady herself, she was back in the water. "My name is Murderer."

"No its not, I want your real name." Hale smiled sweetly at her. This was really too much fun. She looked like a wet cat right now and the thought made him chuckle.

She was silent another few minutes. Surely he wouldn't be alive much longer. After all, she thoroughly planned to slit his throat as soon as the amulet was delivered. Perhaps he'd be less obnoxious when he knew it. She did not like the way he was trying to get it out of her. Sure she loved water, but not when she was fully clothed and in the boots she'd be walking miles in. "Kali."

Hale grinned and offered her a hand. "Was that really so hard, Kali?" he asked. She promptly slapped his hand away and got up.

"Fuck. You."

Hale had a feeling knowing her name was not going to make her any easier to deal with.

* * *

**AN: I do not own Oblivion**

**Thanks to my beta, The Golden Fire-Lily, for catching all my little mistakes and making the story that much better. Thanks to thesuppernugget, for the kind review. Now the rest of you readers click the button to leave a review or I will start killing people off (but not really).**


	4. Chapter 4

In fact, the rest of the afternoon passed very slowly. It filled itself with vicious glares, rude comments, and the feeling of eyes boring craters into Hale's back.

"You're the one that promised you would do this, so suck it up and at least be civil to me. I did allow you to break out of jail." Hale grumbled.

Kali snorted. "You could not have stopped me."

"You really think it would be hard for me to put you over my shoulder and walk back to the cell?" he said.

"Then there would have been no light. Therefore, you would have been stumbling around and less focused on keeping me with you. So yes, I think it would have been hard for you to get me back into the cell." Kali's lips had curled into a cat-like smile. The effect reminded Hale of the Khajiit thieves he had dealt with in the past, cold and calculating.

He snapped out of his thoughts when there was a sudden splash in the water next to him. He glanced over in time to avoid the pincers of a giant mudcrab. Before he could even draw his blade, Kali had her's shoved straight through the top of the creature. It sputtered before dying and she pulled her sword free.

"Glad to see you're light on your feet." she said, wiping the blade clean on a scrap of cloth. Her dislike for him was obvious in the comment. Sarcasm seemed to be her specialty and Hale could only frown when she opened her mouth.

Why would the Nine make him put up with her? He was beginning to think his dream was just a fluke. Surely he wasn't expected to make it all the way to Chorrol without killing her. Or at least shutting her up in a painful manner. At the thought of physically harming her, his stomach began to twist into painful knots. The image in his head was quickly wiped away and filed under 'forget immediately'. He glanced at the woman he was stuck with and sighed.

Kali smirked a bit, knowing she was getting under the skin of her companion. If he wanted to leave her, she would not stop him. Unfortunately, he seemed adamant that she remain on this trip. This was exactly why she normally never made promises. They got you put into situations like this.

Both travelers were in deep thought and so did not notice the Khajiit running up to them. Hale was the first to look up and then draw a weapon. Kali almost walked into the cat person before noticing him. "Move." she ordered the man now blocking their path. The Khajiit only snickered. The Bosmer snarled and pulled the blade from her waist. "Move or you will not move again." she said.

"You are much too hasty, woman. All I want is a hundred gold coins for using my road. I would hate to damage that pretty face of your's when I take it from you." The Khajiit's voice had a dangerous tone to it and Hale knew he was a Highwayman.

Kali laughed, a short, harsh bark, and advanced towards the much taller cat. "You try to harm me and you will die. Leave now and I'll leave you to rob the next people that walk this road." Her words carried a threat in them and it was clear where this confrontation was going. She watched the Khajiit like a hawk and when there was a clang of metal hitting metal, it erupted into a frenzy.

While Kali was clearly able to hold her own against a sword, an axe threw her off balance. Her armor would do nothing against the crushing power of the metal being flung at her. She jumped back and began to circle. It was murderer vs. highwayman and both were trying to find a weak spot in each other. The circling continued until Hale saw an opportunity.

With a grunt, he brought his broadsword down on the Khajiit, who quickly moved to block it with his axe. Kali lunged at her opponent and nicked him before he broke free of the deadlock with Hale and swung at her. The Imperial brought his weapon down again, but had to pull away at the last second because Kali had darted in front of him. He still caught the flat of it on her shoulder and heard her hiss in pain. Expecting her to retreat and tend to the no doubt throbbing shoulder, but she kept moving around the cat.

He was now swinging blindly with the axe, trying to keep two people at bay. He wasn't used to facing two armed people, especially not when one was darting back and forth trying to find a weak spot while the other was trying to crush him with a weapon just as heavy as his. Perhaps these were not the two people to rob?

Hale grunted before swinging again and this time he connected with the side of the Khajiit. The fur armor he wore did nothing to stop the blade and blood gushed from the newly made gash. Kali slipped in and sunk her blade inbetween ribs and the highwayman fell to the ground, still thinking he had picked the wrong people to fuck with.

The Bosmer rolled the body off the road and looted it for gold, coming up with twenty coins. Her demeanor had changed from calm to aggressive, as Hale found out when he moved to pluck a patch of fur off her shoulder. His wrist was caught in a grip he would have thought was a man's. "Do not touch me."

He was released and held up his hands. "Sorry, you have fur on your shoulder. I was going to get it for you." he said.

Kali's grey eyes narrowed before she turned back to the road. "I don't need your help."

They walked in an uncomfortable silence for a good two hours before a woman came running towards them. Kali wasn't about to ask any questions as she drew her blade again. Just in case it was yet another robber. Hale managed to grab the hilt of her sword and stop her from charging forward to kill the woman that was screaming at them for help.

Hale stepped in the way of Kali upon releasing her and asked the woman to stop where she was and tell them from there what she needed. She launched into a tale about traveling with her husband and him being attacked by thieves, who took their gold and injured the man. The woman was putting on the waterworks as she begged. Finally, she finished her story with a plea for help treating the wounds her husband had suffered.

"No." Kali replied before Hale could even open his mouth. Her shoulder was aching and there was no part of her that desired to help this shrill creature that was screaming at them. They weren't fucking heroes. They were two people forced to walk to Chorrol and put up with a bunch of shit that got in their way. Her mood steadily declined as she thought until she was picturing slitting the woman's throat. Maybe then she'd shut up.

"Yeah, I'll help you. Ignore my companion, she's just a bit cranky." Hale said. The look on the woman's face when Kali had said no was heartbreaking and so he was guilted into to helping the man. And so they were quickly lead to the man, who had ended up with many bruises and a gash on his leg. Luckily for them, Hale knew basic medicine and so he cleaned the wound as best he could. After wrapping it and telling the man to get it looked at once they reached the closest town, the two groups parted ways.

Kali had been quietly standing while the scene played out and only snapped after they had walked away. "You fucking asshole. We don't have time for this shit. I don't want to be stuck with you any longer and you keep delaying us again and again. If you don't knock off whatever shit you're trying to pull, I will leave."

Hale had been waiting for this outburst. "Would you grow a heart? It took a half hour to fix up that man's leg and now we're back on the road. You are a nightmare to put up with!" he snapped back. The look he gave her would have quieted a sane person. She met his look with a glare of her own. Neither was willing to back down and so they stood there, both dreaming of kill the other.

The look that he gave her would have silenced most people; not her. Kali matched him with a haughty glare of her own. Neither of them were willing to back down and show weakness, so they stood there, each dreaming of killing the other.

They stayed like this for a while, until Hale advanced. This made Kali tilt her head back in order to keep their eyes locked; the aura of hostility hanging around them increased tangibly. Anger and contempt flared between the pair. Kali snarled, holding her ground. Hale continued forwards, soon almost on top of her, forcing her to back away.

The confrontation finally ended when his hand landed roughly on her bruised shoulder. She yelped with pain, breaking the eye contact.

"Fuck you."

"Would you just shut up and follow me now? Without complaining would be preferred."

"Let me rephrase my previous statement. Fuck. You. Bastard."

Hale shook his head as he walked. It was now four in the afternoon and they had started at around noon. They should have been halfway there, but now Kali was beginning to slow down. He glanced back and saw her sit on a rock before pulling off her boot. He almost felt bad when angry, red skin covered her foot. It was his fault her boots were wet.

Since it was his fault she was limping in the first place, he waited for her without speaking. Even if they hadn't just gotten into yet another confrontation, he doubted she would let him heal her. Besides, this could be punishment from the Gods for passing judgment so quickly on those in need.

A few minutes later and they were back on their way. Kali was doing her best to keep up with the man she planned on boiling his feet. It would only be fair she made the skin as raw and red as hers.

He looked out of the corner of his eye to see Kali's head cocked to the side and her eyes locked on him. She was studying him and the thought made his stomach drop. The glint in her eye was strictly predatory. Perhaps he wouldn't let her walk behind him much longer.

Kali noticed his slowed pace and wondered what his reasoning behind it was. He probably felt guilty, she decided and smirked at the idea. Compassion and guilt were two most easily exploited emotions a person could feel.

They walked in complete silence. Kali was now a few steps ahead of Hale, plotting his demise. The guard was coming up with ways to stay alive while stuck with this woman.

The next four hours passed quietly. Both man and woman were exhausted by the time Hale pounded on the door of the Priory. When it opened to reveal a monk, he was quick to explain what was going on and could only nod gratefully when they were welcomed in. If he thought he was happy at the idea of sitting, Kali could barely contain her excitement.

She shoved her way inside and immediately pulled off her boots. The previous injuries had grown and they forced a limp to appear. Her smile was clear, though small, when she reached a chair and plopped down. Relaxed, she took no notice of Hale making his way to her. Only when his fingers brushed her ankle did her eyes snap open. She withdrew the limb and snarled before understanding what he had planned to do. Returning the leg to its position and gingerly putting her foot into his waiting hand was a challenge she doubted he knew the difficulty of.

Kali sucked in a deep breath when his hands covered the tender flesh and could not keep herself from attempting to jerk away. Hale looked at her and she nodded tersely. His brows knitted together in a look of concentration as magicka flowed into the battered foot.

Despite being touched, Kali found herself relaxing at the soothing feeling of a restoration spell. While she could create light, she had not yet learned a single restoration spell. There was no point in them until now she could not just stop what she was doing and rest.

Hale picked up her other foot and though she tensed, there was no recoil this time. He smiled a little and focused on erasing the pain. Upon finishing, he studied his handiwork, brushing a thumb over the area a blister the size of his eyeball had previously occupied. The roughness of his skin seemed in direct contrast to hers. "There, I think that's the best I can do. I'll take your boots outside to dry." he said, standing.

The wood elf straightened from her slumped position and frowned. "What if I need to get them quickly?" she asked, confused. Did he put his shoes outside at night? If so, he was making himself that much easier to kill.

Hale laughed, his was warm and deep compared to Kali's. "Are you always so suspicious and on guard?" Her boots were already in his hands and he was almost to the door.

"Yes. It's why I'm still alive."

"So am I, but I have dry boots." he retorted and laughed once more before exiting the house. Kali was left to mull over his response for a minute or two before Hale reappeared with an older man. She began to get up and Hale shook his head, indicating that she didn't need to climb up the stairs with them.

Settling back into the chair, her grey eyes studied the layout of the house. If they were attacked, there were several windows and the front door to escape through. However, the large staircase would be trouble if she were to run down it in the dark. With no boots. Worry began to eat at her until she was up and making her way to the door.

"Kali, come up here." Hale called down and distracted the woman from her task. She grumbled with each step she climbed and reached the top just in time to see Hale throw himself down on a bed. "Time to sleep, Your bed is right there." He pointed to the bed next to his and she frowned.

She sat down on top of the mattress and immediately felt sleep tug at her. Her eyes drifted shut before they snapped open again. This was not a safe place to rest, too many people here. Instead of stretching out horizontally she forced herself to remain only slightly reclined. Propped up by a pillow, she stared at the ceiling, listening to the movements of others. Once or twice she glanced at Hale and found him asleep with a blanket pulled up almost to his chin.

The night passed slowly. Every so often, someone would snore loudly enough to wake themselves up and Kali would smirk a little. She wanted to close her eyes and join them in the dream world, but a sense of uncertainty forced her to stay up. If someone came to kill them in the middle of the night, they would find her waiting.

The idea of being prepared for anything made the panic of no boots ease slightly. She was still itching to get up and grab them, but had no desire to wake anyone. People had killed for lesser reasons than that and while she doubted any of the men in the room could kill her, she disliked surprises. Beds creaked as bulky bodies shifted and a voice mumbled quietly into the pressing quiet.

Kali glanced at Hale and noticed his brow was furrowed and his lips were moving. Was it him that was speaking in his sleep?

"Kal….run….Martin…" he muttered, fidgeting.

Now the curiosity at what he was thinking was almost overwhelming. She slipped off the bed, wincing at the loud creak, and crouched by his. She was studying him in his sleep, her face a few inches from his. Now if he spoke, she wouldn't miss anything.

Silence crept in until Hale broke it. The groan that slipped out of his mouth was one of actual pain, and it left Kali baffled. She cocked her head to the side as she studied him. If he had an old injury, she could use that against him. A smile appeared.

"Oh, Hale. You just don't know what I have planned for you, do you?" she asked quietly. Her soft snickering seemed to disturb her target's sleep. He stirred and cracked open an eye.

Grey met green and time seemed to freeze for a moment. Hale sat up quickly, rubbing his eyes, he was positive Kali was inches from him. When his vision cleared, he found her reclining on her own bed, head tilted away from him. Her chest was steadily rising and falling, indicating she was asleep and that sent the guard through a loop. He could have sworn she had just been next to him.

Kali swore at herself, cursing her actions. She hoped he wouldn't notice she was shaking slightly despite the steady rise and fall of her breath. Once he rolled over again and let out a snore, she relaxed and gulped in air. She made a note to thank someone, not the Nine, for her quick speed. Things would have gotten messy had she still been there when Hale was actually awake.

She braved a look and felt relief when he had once again pulled the blanket up to his chin and rolled onto his side. Her smile was easy to miss in the shadows, but it was there. "You can't catch me, Hale." she whispered into the quiet.

Hale cracked open one eye and smirked. Oh yes, he could.

* * *

**AN: First off, I do not own Oblivion.**

**Thanks to my Beta, The Golden Fire-Lily, for helping with this chapter. Also, thanks to DualKatanas for the kind and helpful reviews. To the rest of my readers: review.**

**Now that I have school again I'm afraid my updates may be a little slow in coming. Be patient with me!**


	5. Chapter 5

By the time the sun was streaming into windows, Kali was up and moving. She had already gathered her boots and cleaned her blade. Every so often she'd come to see if Hale had gotten up. The longer he stayed asleep, the more anxious she became. Her mouth was set in a permanent frown, and before long, she yanked the blankets from the tank of a man.

She hadn't thought about what he wore to bed. For some reason, she expected him to be wearing his armor. Instead of shining metal, she was staring at light tan pants and a broad chest. She blinked in surprise before averting her eyes. The ceiling was suddenly very interesting. "Hale, it's time to go." she said.

The guard simply rolled onto his stomach and let out a loud snore. Now Kali knew he was awake and just trying to get on her nerves. Without further comment, she shoved him almost off the bed with one foot while saying his name. The fact that he grabbed her ankle and tugged, causing her to lose her balance and fall, only made her irritated. She planned to get him later- she was keeping a running tally of how much pain she owed him.

Rotating her shoulder produced an obvious wince. It was black and blue, swollen, and extremely stiff. She did a quick catalog of her other injuries and now had to add the bruise that would no doubt appear on her backside by noon.

"It's time to leave; get up and get dressed," she ordered, pointing at the shirt and armor sitting next to his bed. She wondered why he'd display so openly that he was unguarded, but shrugged it off. Every scrap of knowledge she gained about his sleeping habits would make it easier to deal with him later. Her eyes glinted at the idea of physically harming him.

"No, we're staying for breakfast. Besides, why are you in a hurry to walk to Kvatch? That's a longer walk than yesterday's." he mumbled, voice blocked by a pillow and slow with sleep.

Kali paused what she was doing- which was inspecting the ceiling for any damage- and looked at the man in utter confusion. "What?" Her voice had taken on a deadly quality and her eyes were now angry slits.

Hale opened his eyes and swore quietly. He had meant to tell her last night, but the bed had called to him so sweetly and had cradled him so gently…

"Well, yeah. We agreed to help the kingdom. This is the next part of that quest." he replied, sitting up. Sand colored hair stuck up at every angle. His eyes were cloudy until they were rubbed and afterwards they were still heavy with sleep. Once he could see the look on the woman's face, he knew he was in for a fight.

The Bosmer was taken aback. "I don't do 'questing'. I fulfilled my part of the deal, if you want to run errands, be my guest. Don't think I'm coming with you though." As far as she was concerned, she had already fulfilled her promise. The old man hadn't made her promise to anything other than delivering the amulet, which she had. Now all that was left was to kill Hale like she had sworn to do.

Grabbing at his dark green shirt, Hale pulled himself out of bed. He thought he was being very clever by stepping in front of the stairs. Now he had the obvious escape route cut off, he had to convince her she was still under oath. The amulet needed to be delivered to Martin, who needed to be brought to the priory. As he tried to explain this to her, he knew he was losing the battle.

Kali moved to step around him and snarled when his hand gripped her bad shoulder. Immediately the pain brought moisture to her eyes. Her warning growl was headed a second too late as Hale tried to retract his hand. Kali grabbed the retreating offender and jerked one of hisfingers into a position nature had not intended.

He cried out and quickly brought his other hand around to connect with her cheek.

Guilt was obvious in his expression as she fell back, clutching her shoulder withone hand and turning a red cheek away from him. He hadn't meant to hit her, but Gods, was she asking for it. All her pushing was beginning to get under his skin and the cracks in his patience were beginning to turn into canyons.

Kali turned her back to the guard before she killed him. She had a certain way she wanted his life ended and to do it now in a rage would be a waste. Her nostrils flared as she tried to calm down, to stop seeing the world through a curtain of red. A sound behind her indicated Hale had stepped closer to her and she stiffened in response. Another noise and this time she head the clink of metal before her arms were brought behind her back and locked together. "Shackles?" she muttered in disbelief.

Hale was feeling very proud of himself now for having enough foresight to bring the iron restraints. Who would have guessed Kali would be in them again so soon? The content smile on his lips was meant to taunt the very red-faced wood elf while concealing just how badly the red on her cheek was eating at him. "You made an oath, I'm keeping you to it." Grabbing one of the small arms, he led the woman down the stairs and to the table where the monks sat.

Two of them looked surprised to see the elf bound and manhandled while Jauffre had a knowing smirk on his lips. He had pegged the woman to be a handful from the beginning. In fact, he spent the night praying to the Nine, asking them to help the two who held the kingdom on their shoulders. Whether they had listened yet or not, he was not sure. He hoped for their sake the Gods had.

"Good morning, Hale, Kali." The blade master nodded at each, ignoring the look he received from the latter. "Help yourself to the food and there is a horse you can use in the stables out back." With that he returned to the sweet roll in his hand and the Black Horse Courier on the table.

Hale grinned and used his free hand to wrangle himself a couple of rolls, shoveling it into his mouth before reaching for more. Kali thrashed in his grip and he replied by shoving a sweet roll somewhere in the vicinity of her mouth. His guilt was fading now and leaving him in a lighter mood. He hoped he could erase some of the anger of the morning with a joke or two.

Kali tried to get the bread out of her face, turning her head side to side, but Hale was insistent. Everywhere she turned there was that damn roll. Eventually she opened her mouth just to get rid of the thing. Hearing Hale's chuckle was more than enough to make her snarl and having the bread forced into her mouth only intensified the rage she was feeling. Swallowing the lump of food, Kali winced as it slid excruciating slowly down her esophagus. "Enough! I'm not hungry!" she snapped as soon as the painful scraping in her throat was gone. Her anger was not fading after the indignation she had been forced to endure earlier. The plans for killing him were steadily being drawn out into days of torture.

Hale smirked and continued to feed himself until there was barely any food left for the monks. After letting out a very content 'ah', Hale dragged his prisoner towards the door. He shuffled the hertowards the stables and up to the horse. The paint mare was snorting in their direction and he looked on with surprise when Kali was nuzzled by the animal. He was baffled as she even seemed to crack a hint of a smile as her hair was sniffed at.

Feeling eyes on her, Kali turned and looked at Hale with a hint of confusion. "I'm a Bosmer. We have a connection with animals," she muttered before suddenly being hefted onto the mare. She sent an icy glare at the Imperial for touching her and sat rigid as stone as the man swung into the saddle behind her.

Hale had been planning on letting Kali sit normally in the saddle, but when he suddenly found himself sitting on his ass in the dirt after the horse reared for absolutely no reason, he was back to being angry. Kali landing with a thud on his knee, which popped and sent a wave of aching pain through his body, infuriated him more. The wood elf smirking at him and explaining she could control an animal for a short time thanks to magic only added fuel to the fire.

"Explain to me why you had to do that?" he barked, wrenching the woman from the ground and throwing her across the rump of the horse. He heard the wind rush out of her and sighed; getting rough with her seemed to be the only way to win this battle they had going on, but every move he made weighed heavily on his conscience. Something about seeing her giving into the pain he had caused her yesterday had changed the way he felt. Criminal or not, she was a sentient creature that was very much capable of feelings and thought.

There was something nostalgic about the way they were currently trotting down the road to Kvatch. Kali was bound much in the same manner she had been when they first met and Hale was feeling very smug. She had long since stopped hurling obscenities at him and was now bobbing up and down with closed eyes and a look of concentration.

Something was brewing in her mind, that he knew for certain and felt a bit of apprehension when he glanced back to make sure she was still there. Icy eyes met his own and held them for a second before sliding away to stare at grass along the road. Hale shivered. Oh yes, something was brewing indeed.

Kali sucked in a breath as the horse's movements forced air a moment later. Being tied up and forced to ride on a horse like this was more than enough to bring back the red. In fact, everything was red. Including the sky. She made faces at the dirt as she thought about past predicaments and how she could have dealt with this. Why hadn't she just left this morning without Hale?

Her lower lip was chewed until the taste of blood coated her tongue. The knowledge that she had willingly stayed, only to end up like this, bothered her immensely and the bumpy ride was doing nothing to ease her irritation. Something had made her stay and wait for the man she wanted to murder in cold blood, but what was it? Kali had a feeling she'd never quite know what made her do it or why.

When the pace was suddenly picked up almost an hour later and every step seemed to knock the wind out of her lungs, Kali decided she'd had enough. Bruises were already forming on her front side after a few hours of being rattled around and her arms were entirely numb. Luckily for her, they were just about to pass by the city of Skingrad. She was suddenly grateful for the guard's misplaced trust in his rope that had once again secured her to the saddle and his mistake of not binding her feet. But the fatal error he had made was to not remove her weapon.

It took another twenty-five minutes, but she managed to fray the rope so badly all it would take was one hard jerk and she would be free from the horse. Waiting until Hale moved to the side of the road to let a Black Horse Courier emissary gallop past, Kali grunted and hurled herself backwards. Just like the first time she ended up on the ground in pain, but free of the repetitive movements of the horse. Getting to her feet, Kali took off sprinting in the direction of the town.

Hale heard the grunt and thud and closed his eyes. He prayed that this wasn't happening to him again. Upon looking back, he found out it was. The back of the elf was rapidly disappearing down the road back to Skingrad and Hale groaned out loud. "That woman makes my life difficult on purpose…" he muttered before turning the horse around and setting off at a brisk trot. He was sure he'd catch up to her before she could get too far away.

Kali was panting by the time the town came into view and heard Hale not too far behind her. Desperate for enough time to figure a way out of the shackles and escape, she dove into a bush near the stables. A bay horse sniffed at her hair and whinnied. Despite her best attempts to make it move away, the horse remained above her head. She heard Hale stop just a few feet away and slide off the paint mare. His boots clanged against the ground as he came closer and closer. Finally, Kali was backed into a corner and chose to flee the only way she could.

Jumping out of the bush, terrifying the horse in the process, she managed to climb the fence and swing herself onto the horse's back. The frightened animal took off at a gallop, easily clearing the wooden fence and hurtling down the road to Kvatch. With no hands and no way to control the beast, Kali could only try her best to hang on for the ride with her legs. Behind her, Hale's roaring laughter carried over the sound of hoof beats.

Hale continued to laugh as he got into the saddle and set off after her at a fast pace. His jolly mood remained unbroken as he came upon the stopped horse, currently munching grass, with Kali sitting on top of it, ramming her feet into its sides. He slowed to a walk and laughed at the comic act playing out in front of him.

"Go! You stupid nag, I ought to kill you and sell your meat to an alchemist! You worthless piece of shit!" Kali snapped, her feet kicking with her punctuation.

Hale watched for a moment before clearing his throat and stopping along side her. "You know I have to arrest you again for this, right?" The smile on his face was hard to miss.

"Oh fuck off. Go dick around with the other guards and leave me the hell alone," she replied with a glare.

Glancing down at her bound wrists, Hale sighed. He fished in a pouch for a few seconds before withdrawing an iron key. "I'll release you, but only if you agree to come to Kvatch and get Martin, and then return him safely to the priory."

A snort rang out and it wasn't from the horses. Kali glanced at the key before looking away for a long time. Getting a lockpick wasn't going to be hard, it would be unlocking her restraints that would prove a challenge. Not to mention she had just stolen a horse and probably would get picked up by another guard somewhere down the road. Of course, she could just kill anyone that came to bother her, but it seemed like a lot of effort. After all, Kvatch was just down the road. How hard could Martin be to find and get back to the priory?

After a few minutes of debate, Kali finally nodded. "Fine, I will go to Kvatch, get Martin, return him to the priory, but after that I'm done. Got it?" she asked and received a nod.

Hale managed to contain his smirk and get close enough to the wood elf to unlock the handcuffs. He tucked them back into his belt and watched out of the corner of his eye as Kali rubbed her raw wrists. The ever present shard of guilt in his chest grew at the sight until it became a sharp point in his chest and the Imperial sighed.

A click of his tongue and a nudge of his foot later, they were off on the road to Kvatch once again.

* * *

**Author's Note & Disclaimer: **

**Sorry everyone for the delay, life got crazy and remained so until now. Luckily for all of you, it gave me plenty of time to think about what I want to come out of this story. I'm open to suggestions, comments, concerns, etc. All that being said, unless there are a few more reviews, the updates may take a while again. Being human, I need the encouragement! Also, I need to thank my Beta, The Golden Fire-Lily, for helping me out.**

**I do NOT own Oblivion.**

**-xEffrontery**


	6. Chapter 6

"You keep rubbing your wrists like that and the skin will come off."

Kali scowled in the Imperial's direction. An hour of silence and he had to break it with that comment? "They wouldn't be raw if you hadn't chained them together." Though she wouldn't admit it, she was grateful Hale had agreed to remove them a while back. Otherwise, the damage to her skin would have been much worse by this time. Her voice was cool and even, belying the annoyance inside of her head. Her wrists stung and itched despite her best attempts to relieve it and sure enough, skin was beginning to peel off.

Hale sat up a little straighter in his saddle and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Ma'am, but you are the one breaking the laws. It shouldn't be a such a shock that I treat you like a criminal," he retorted, his tone a joking one. "Just be grateful that I'm letting you sit on stolen property until we reach Kvatch."

The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze that managed to get into his armor and ease the heat trapped inside. Not to mention, watching Kali shoot off on a horse with her hands restrained had been humorous to say the least. As far as he was concerned, today was an excellent day. The thought of reaching Martin soon and heading back with the new Emperor in tow safely was his goal and it seemed an easy one to accomplish.

It could only be around one in the afternoon when they saw the hill Kvatch was settled on come into clear view. Kali had been silent until they got close and then she cleared her throat.

"Hale?"

The man was shocked she was speaking to him with no undertone of contempt. "Yes?"

She looked at him and then pointed up at the sky. When she had seen red earlier, the sky had appeared so as well. Now she wasn't angry and the sky was red again. There seemed to be only two logical choices; she was losing her mind or the sky was actually red. "What color is the sky?"

Hale snorted, thinking she was making some sort of snide comment. "Blue of course." But when he noticed the look on Kali's face, he glanced up and gasped.

"What in the name of Oblivion is going on?" he asked in alarm, clearly unsettled by this development. His heels dug into the paint mares sides and took off for the town without waiting for Kali to spur her own mount on.

Within a minute, a figure with black hair was passing him on a bay horse. Hale glanced to the side and was surprised to see Kali- he would have figured she would have left. They galloped at a furious pace until they reached the base of the hill. A lone Altmer was running down the road yelling at them to run.

"Daedra are attacking the city! Run!" was all they could get out of the man before he was behind them and quickly disappearing into the distance.

Kali snorted at the coward and glanced at Hale. "You think he's half Khajiit?" she asked with a smirk.

"What in the heavens are you talking about, woman?" he asked curtly, already urging the horse up the hill. He had no times for chatting with her now that hundreds of lives were at stake. The desire to protect lives was burning at his insides and making him anxious.

"He's the biggest pussy I've ever seen," she finished with short bark of a laugh. Her mood was significantly lighter now that there was promise of bloodshed.

As they passed through a camp, they surveyed the faces that peeked out at them. Dirt, fear, and anger marred every one of them. The mood seemed to grow ever more solemn the closer they got to the top, until they reached the barricade where a group of guards were protecting the road.

The scent of burning flesh and sulfur was almost overwhelming, scorch marks scarring the ground, and occasionally a blood-curdling scream could be heard. A large burning oval was sitting directly in front of Kvatch's gate. Daedra seemed to pour out of it and the guards were clearly becoming overwhelmed as the fight dragged on.

"We're here to help!" Hale called out, hefting himself out of the saddle. Immediately the horse turned and ran back towards safety. The captain of the guard looked relieved and then quickly became grim again.

"Two people? I'm defending a city against Oblivion and they send me two people?" he asked in disbelief.

Kali frowned and decided she did not like this man. Of course, killing him right now would be a stupid move, but it was definitely possible in the future. If she did it now she'd have every man up here after her. In the future, maybe in the middle of a large battle, she would 'accidentally' stick him in the side.

Sliding out of the saddle, she let go of the reins and watched as the horse followed its companion down the hill. She stood next to Hale with one hand on her blades hilt. "I think you should be damn grateful you got anybody."

"A woman? Oh Gods, we're down to one new fighter." The captain buried his face in his hands.

Even Hale saw something wrong with his reaction and knew there was about to be some blood shed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the woman by his side advance forward. Immediately he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Kali, don't do anything rash. He's under a lot of stress."

The elf wrenched her arm from his grasp and snarled. "Give me something to kill," she ordered and was granted her wish when a Clannfear runt came charging at the barricade. Without a moment of hesitation, Kali weaved her way between the wood barriers and stepped into the open space. Her blade was a silver stinger in her hand and she was circling the Daedra with slow and cautious steps.

Together they seemed to dance for a moment before, suddenly, there was an opening where the Clannfear runt left its side exposed. Kali closed the distance and plunged her blade in through the hide. She was met with a momentary resistance before her weapon sliced through flesh. The monster screamed in pain and tried to shove her away, but to no avail.

It took several seconds of forcing, but finally the sword hit the heart and the beast gave one last scream of fury before collapsing at the woman's feet. She looked up, directly at the guard captain, before turning and walking to the fiery oval.

Hale spared a look at the clearly shocked guard captain before smiling. "Still think you only have one new fighter?" he asked. Not waiting for an answer, he took off after Kali. He guessed this was a gate to Oblivion and had to fight back the feeling of despair that came with the thought. The land of lava and death held no appeal for him.

Standing side by side once again, Kali looked up at him before gesturing at the gate. "You first."

"What? Why me?" he asked, horrified at the thought of crossing into the world of the unknown.

Kali grinned and shrugged. "So if there's a trap waiting for us, you're the one that gets caught in it. Now, into Oblivion you go." With that, she moved behind Hale and shoved with all her might. Flailing arms almost caught her in the head, but quickly disappeared into another world.

Standing in front of the gate alone except for the quivering guards behind her, Kali suddenly felt compelled to go through right away. Rationalizing it as the desire to kill anything that stood in her path and not to make sure Hale wasn't being skinned, she hesitated a moment before stepping into the fiery oval.

The sensation of being pulled into that world was something like being stretched on the rack. Her joints had not taken the journey lightly, already a light ache was settling in them. Her stomach felt like it had been pulled into her throat and her heart was hammering. For a moment she was taken aback by all the red, rubbing her eyes furiously before realizing that was the only color here. A guard rushed past her, back into the real world, with a look of panic on his face.

A couple feet in front of her stood Hale, the body of a Scamp at his feet. He turned to look at her with relief painted on his features. "Oh thank the Nine Divine you got through, I was thinking I was in this alone. That guard was about to cry when I told him to leave." He wiped the blood off his blade before sheathing it.

"Stop thanking them, they aren't the reason I'm here," she muttered, before walking past him. Everything here seemed made to kill and she had a feeling if she liked the color red at all, this place would feel like home. Spotting a large tower with a yellow light at the top, she headed for it.

A fireball flew past her and she jumped to the side just in time to avoid another one. Looking around for the source of the fire, she spotted a Scamp and scowled. Just as she was marching to deal with it, Hale appeared behind the scaly creature and snapped its neck. This left the Bosmer stunned for a moment before recovering. "Quit taking my kills." she snapped.

Hale threw his hands up in the air and sulked behind her. Just because he had opted for a less direct manner of killing the scamp- and maybe he had purposely interfered with her plan just ruffle her feathers- it didn't earn him the position of follower. In order to prove that, he quickened his pace and began to march in front of Kali.

She sighed as he tried to establish his place as leader and decided to let him. She had no problems with watching him get burned by a Scamp for his ego. While fireballs and swords she had been expected, attacks from plants she had not.

Hale suddenly jumped to the side. "That thing just whipped me!"

"Yes, and your point?" Kali replied, amused at the scene in front of her. It wasn't every day that one ran across a plant that seemed hell-bent on harming you.

"It's a plant! Plants don't whip people and they sure as shit don't move by themselves!" he exclaimed as she began to walk away from him. Her pace was fast and if Hale hadn't quickly followed after her, she would have disappeared from sight. Already she was getting farther away and about to slip behind a hill.

Unable to get through a large gate in front of the tower with the yellow light, they settled for another tower to the west. As they entered, Hale lit a torch and let out a low whistle. "You think we're alone in here?" he asked quietly and was promptly answered by a squeal and then a weak glob of fire being hurled somewhere in their direction.

Kali shot him a look that warned him not to speak again and went off in search of the creature hiding in the dim shadows. All that was heard was another squeal and then something that sounded a lot like bones crushing and flesh ripping. She returned into the circle of bright light covered in blood. "Keep your mouth shut."

Fearing more fireballs,the Imperial listened to her words and kept quiet until they entered another room. This time they went in a circle and ended up at yet another door. Kali took the honor of slipping through first and by the time Hale was inside, she was already slipping through the door on the other side, a few dead Daedra scattered on the ground.

It took a minute or so to catch up with her back in the hall much like they had been in two doors ago, and by then she was at yet another door. "Do you have any idea where you're going?" he asked with a huff on annoyance. He heard a snort and then she was pushing through the door and they were suddenly back outside. Though certainly not on the ground.

Kali hadn't been expecting the cat walk and made the mistake of glancing down. Her stomach suddenly did a few flips before settling uneasily. Being vertically challenged, height was a problem for the Bosmer. It took a lot of inner screaming to force her lead feet to move at all and the pace was a snail crawl compared to the jog they had been at before.

A clang of metal on stone made the skittish elf progress further down the narrow bridge to another tower. Hale smiled a little to finally see some weakness in her and decided to stomp his feet the entire way across. The snail crawl gradually turned into a normal walking pace and then they were across. There was a grin on the guards face and beads of sweat on the criminal's by the time they were safely inside the other tower.

A guttural growl was heard and Hale immediately looked at the elf with shock. "Was that you?"

"It was him." she gestured at the Dremora standing on the other side of the tower. In the middle of them hung a cage with a man in it.

"You should not be here, Mortal. Your blood is forfeit, your flesh is mine." A snakelike voice spoke and gave every one in the room goosebumps. As the creature walked around the hole in the center of the tower, Kali found herself moving back. She managed to stop herself, but could not force her feet forward.

Taking his chance to make another kill, Hale charged towards the monster with a mace and let out a grunt their weapons met. While they were almost the same height, the Daedric armor the Sigil Keeper wore gave him a weight advantage. Hale had to use more effort than normal to force the Dremora a step back and finally broke the deadlock. Again they met and again they were forced to split apart. The seconds in-between attacks were filled with deep breaths and the sounds of armor as it ground against itself.

Both fighters had forgotten the elf, who had suddenly leapt onto the cage. The prisoner inside tried to steady himself as the cage began to swing as Kali studied the way it was put together. She pulled on one side and found it more giving than the others.

Hale and the Sigil Keeper paused to look at the spectacle going on beside them before returning to the fight. Luckily for the mortals, Hale was faster to recover and managed to deal a heavy blow to the primary arm of the Daedra. The resulting howl of pain echoed through the tower and reverberated in the chests of those trying to close the gates. With a great shove behind the point of his sword, Hale sent his blade into the space between the helmet and chest-plate of his enemy. A disgusting gurgling sound could be heard as blood was pumped from the body with every heart beat.

Kali jerked her weight backwards as she clung to the side of the cage. The contraption creaked and shuddered, but did not give. She was close to giving up and the protests of the caged man, urging them to leave him and to just get the key to the Sigil Keep, were wearing her patience thin. Two hands around her dangling waist prompted a feeling of sheer panic until she was pulled down, cage side and all, and immediately released. Her feet touched stone and she let go of the cage, nodding thanks at the guard standing next to her.

Hale finished jerking the door down and then offered a hand to the bloodied, shirtless man inside.

"Thank you for saving me. I am Menien Goneld. I appreciate what you've done, but you have wasted precious time in saving me. Quickly, get the key from the Sigil Keeper's body and shut down this gate!" Menien ushered Hale to the body and then down towards the floor of the tower.

Kali was already headed for it by the time she realized the men were directly behind her. She frowned and sped up, reaching the ground a minute before the two. They followed her as she made her way to their goal. They paused once by the Oblivion gate and Menien headed back to their world. She couldn't say she was sorry to see him go, ever since he had started talking she had been wishing she had killed him.

"Why did you save him?" Hale's voice broke through her thoughts.

"I thought we needed him." she replied.

Hale raised an eyebrow and studied the woman in front of him. If he didn't know better, he would have thought she suddenly had a compassionate bone in her body. He chose to file this fact away for later and instead focused on not getting too close to the edge of the bridge they were on. Instead of water underneath, it was lava.

They maneuvered inside the main tower a few minutes later and Hale gagged at the smell. Everything seemed to be washed in blood and rotting flesh. In the center of the tower was a pillar of what appeared to be fire and the temperature inside the structure was easily twenty degrees warmer than the outside. As far as he was concerned, the entire place was the epitome of what he hated.

They ventured through a now unlocked door and Kali was almost taken out by a hidden trap. She threw her weight backwards and into Hale, which caused him to lay a hand on the wall for balance. The fact that it squished slightly as he made contact was bad enough, but as he took a closer look at the gunk on his hands, he found it to be partially congealed blood.

The dry-heaving was almost unstoppable and he managed to choke his way through the series of traps until he was standing on the other side. His metal armor was doing nothing to help remove the smear from his skin and he would have actually thrown up had Kali not produced a cloth and shoved it into his palm. "I lied earlier, you are the biggest pussy I've ever seen."

Together, they found another door and stepped into a balcony. There was a portal of some sort nearby and Hale pushed Kali onto it. She immediately jumped off of it and growled. He shrugged, feigning innocence. "I figure since I went into the portal first, you're riding that up first. Or are you too scared to do it?" he taunted. She sneered at him and stepped back onto it, just to prove she was not afraid.

When she was at the next level, Kali stepped off and waited impatiently for Hale. She was tempted to push him off the edge, into the pillar of fire, just for entertainment purposes. A smirk grew on her face as she planned exactly how she'd do it and before she knew it her target was directly in front of her. Her opportunity was lost when he moved away from the edge and towards the door.

Stepping through it, they came across a spiral ramp made of what appeared to be skin. Hale grimaced and felt the urge to vomit again. Was there any redeeming quality of Oblivion? What made Daedra so eager to live in a land of torture and blood?

A shriek brought him out of his thoughts and Hale immediately looked for Kali. He found her standing near the ramp, straddling a body. She had a Churl on his back and had her sword plunged into somewhere near its throat.

"You okay?" he called out and received a short nod.

Wiping hair and sweat out of her eyes, Kali sucked in a deep breath. She hadn't noticed the Dremora until it had almost killed her. Of course, if anyone asked, the shriek was from the creature, not from her. Retrieving the bloodied sword, she glanced back at Hale. "You stay back until I call down to you." With that short statement, she was sprinting up the ramp.

Her next obstacle was a Churl mage that came after her with a vengeance. He sent spell after spell towards her and though she dodged most of them, a few got a close enough to burn skin. One in particular managed to catch part of her sleeve on fire. She managed to put the flames out a moment later, but the damage was done. Kali hissed as fire flew dangerously close to her face. This mage was a coward, hurling spells and then running out of her reach. The punishment for dragging out this fight was a gruesome end that involved being kicked into the fire column. Almost instantly it was completely engulfed in the flames and then there was quiet.

Sighing, the wood elf gently peeled away the charred piece of her shirt away from her arm to inspect the skin underneath The flesh was red and already beginning to blister and the pain that came from even the air touching it was more than enough to force teeth to clench. "I fucking hate Daedra." she muttered, climbing the steps. There were a few more attackers further up, but she was quiet enough now to sneak in and kill them without alerting the others. The more bodies that hit the floor, the higher she got until she was even with the Sigil Stone. "Hale!" she called out and nearly jumped into the lava stream when his voice sounded directly behind her.

"I'm already here, quit yelling." he muttered before reaching towards the stone. The second he touched it, the entire world seemed to shake. It felt remotely like entering Oblivion for the first time, but it was much more drawn out and the pain was stronger this time around. It felt like he was being pressed into a pancake and slurped through a tube.

The world was suddenly an explosion of colors that were not red and he felt like crying with relief. He was flat on his back with Kali's wrist gripped tightly in his hand. She was face down on the cobblestones and groaning. Hale let go and watched as she got on her hands and knees before looking at the guard captain with a cruel smile on her lips.

Savlian Matius came rushing over to them and helped Hale to his feet. "Oh I knew you could do it! Thank the Nine!" he cheered.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I can't tell you how long it took me to get through the Oblivion gate again for research purposes. If there are any mistakes regarding how to get through it, please ignore them. Thanks again to my beta, The Golden Fire-Lily, for catching my errors and fixing them. To the reviewers, your praise is the only reason this is up so soon. To those that read and do not review, please push the button at the bottom of the screen and leave a kind word or two. As always, I do not own Oblivion.**

**R&R and the next chapter will be up ASAP!**


	7. Author's Note

Hello everyone,

I just wanted everyone to know that because of an unfortunate computer...crash/minor explosion the updates for this story are going to be coming later than planned. I promise I have not given up on this story and as soon as I can get everything in order, you will get more chapters.

Thank you!

-xEffrontery


	8. Chapter 7

**First off, Merry Christmas everyone. To those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, happy holidays. Ignore the mistakes, I'm sure there are many. I read over it, but in order to give everyone a present, I decided to go ahead and upload it without further editing. Also, pay attention to the author's note at the bottom. There's a second treat for you. **

Kali snorted and rolled her eyes at the Savlian. Yes, of course he thought they could do it, now that they had actually managed to shut down the gate. Her dislike for the man was growing by the second and she was beginning to envision ramming her sword between his ribs. The smirk on her lips grew considerably as the daydream continued.

Hale accepted a flask of water and drained half of it before handing it towards the Bosmer that had more than proven herself in Oblivion. She gave him a distrusting look and walked farther away from the group, leaving him with the rest of the water. He watched as Menien followed after her and smiled as the annoyance clearly crossed her features. He wondered how long it would be until she snapped at the man.

"Thank you again for saving me. I thought I was going to die there." A shudder went through Menien as he expressed his gratitude over and over again. He had been given a shirt and had managed to get some of the blood and grime off his face, but the fear was still there.

Kali had heard him approach and scowled darkly as she prepared to talk to him. She had felt a shred of pity for him and felt uncomfortable leaving a human to die in Oblivion. Plus, she had really thought they needed him to close the gate. "You're welcome. Now go away." she ordered, turning to give him a cold look.

Menien seemed taken aback by her dismissal. He hesitated before turning back to join the group of guards that were preparing for the charge into the city. They were preparing to storm through the gates and clear out the remaining Daedra and he was eager to see the survivors inside. His wife was among them; at least, he prayed she was.

Hale gathered into the group headed for the group and glanced at Kali. She was standing apart from them, watching with suspicious eyes as weapons were prepared and men wished each other luck. He nodded in her direction and was surprised when she nodded back. His thoughts were interrupted by Savlian yelling as he charged for the gates. He ran forward with the other men and wondered briefly what was waiting for them on the other side.

It took three men to push the doors open and the din of battle began soon after. Clannfear runts bellowed as they charged at the guards while fire balls blazed in every direction. The chaos around the men was disorientating at the very least and deadly at its worse. Swords were swung at any enemy within range, regardless of what was around.

Hale grunted as his weapon met the flesh of a Scamp, ignoring the spray of blood and scream of pain until there was no more struggling. Kicking the body away, he narrowly dodged getting rammed by a bleeding Clannfear runt by pitching himself to the left. The guard standing behind him was not so lucky and caught the full brunt of the blow in the chest, knocking the man to the ground.

He winced as the human cry rang out, clearly heard over the other noises. There was nothing he could do for the man whose throat was now in the jaws of the Daedra. He was about to kill the monster when Kali slipped in front of him and rammed her sword into its side. She glanced at the body on the ground and shuddered, hastily moving onto the next target.

Catching his breath before charging to take out another Scamp that was getting awfully close to Menien, he was again beaten by Kali. They exchanged looks before she shrugged.

"Pick up your pace a little and maybe you could actually kill something." Kali chided him, watching for her next victim. The battle had been going splendidly well for her so far, she'd even managed to knock Salvian Matius to the ground on 'accident' as well as step on his hand. Despite the burn on her arm beginning to ache unbearably, she was uninjured.

That changed when out of no where a Clannfear rammed into her side, sending her body sprawling to the ground. Kali coughed as she met cobblestones and the taste of blood made its way onto her tongue. While that was disconcerting enough, the Daedra above her bellowed and began to slash at her with every sharp part of its body. The runts had been easy to deal with, but this was no tiny thing with minimal strength behind its attacks, and she was becoming increasingly panicked.

A vicious blow to her skull left the world spinning and suddenly all Kali could do was lay there, watching her vision shrink into a tube. She felt more swipes land on her body, drawing blood and damaging tissues. "Help…" she whispered, knowing it was only another thirty seconds or so before she was going to slip into unconsciousness.

Just as her hearing faded into her heartbeat, a familiar voice invaded her skull.

"Kali!" Hale cried as he rammed into the Clannfear at full speed. They tumbled to the ground and Hale's sword was just out of reach. He looked for a weapon and found the short blade Kali used. He grabbed for it just as the Clannfear threw him off of itself and roared inches from his face. The Imperial snarled and shouted back at the creature, hacking at any part he could get at with the much shorter weapon. He inflicted many shallow cuts and the smell of Daedra blood was heavy in the air by the time the monster fell back long enough for him to grab his own sword.

"Come and get it!" he challenged and swore that the Daedra understood him because it bellowed one last time and pawed the ground before running at him. Hale ran forward to meet it and they clashed, scale meeting steel. The clash was a scrabble of crushing claws and biting blades with random interjections of pants and grunts.

Again the two crashed to the ground, scrambling to deliver a killing blow before losing their own life. For the Imperial, it was wearing on his stamina to continue holding down the heavy boned creature from Oblivion and the result was the gashes he opened on its hide were less precise and more shallow. Jaws clamped down around his shoulder and Hale growled as pain flooded his system. Now he was getting angry and the result was a rough slash aimed at the Clannfear's side. Surprisingly, the pain faded as the owner of the jaws slumped unmoving onto the ground now wet with blood.

Sighing in relief, he was tentative about approaching Kali's body. Something about the way she looked entirely at peace gave him goosebumps, she never was without a scowl on her face. The amount of dirt and blood on her body was also adding to the feeling of dread as he neared, what if she was dead? The guard shook his head quickly and put his ear near her chest. He tried to block out the sounds as the remaining Kvatch guards destroyed the few Daedra left, tried to hear the heartbeat that would bring him relief for a reason he didn't care to understand.

A steady thumping created a smile on his face and Hale was careful about picking up the woman. She looked in almost as bad of shape as the last time he had carried her, back in the Imperial Prison. "You know, I think I deserve thanks for saving you when you wake up. Or how about you just agree to not injure me as I haul you into the nearest prison for stealing a horse?" he muttered quietly to himself, smirking the whole time.

"Is she alive?"

Hale turned to see who had spoke and found a worried Menien. Despite his best attempts, he couldn't hold in a brief snort of laughter. "She's fine, I think. Just got knocked in the head by that big bastard over there." he nodded his head in the direction of the Clannfear.

Menien nodded and took another step closer to make sure his savior was truly alive before retreating back to stand with the other guards.

A groan prompted Hale to turn his attention away from the others and towards the Wood Elf. She cracked open one eye and immediately closed it again. Her mouth opened a little to drag in a deep breath and then closed again. The peaceful element of her face faded, but was not entirely gone when she slipped back into the world of dreams. Hale wondered what exactly was going on in her head and debated the possibility of ever knowing.

"Hale! We're going into the Chapel!" Savlian called.

Rushing after them while trying not to jostle Kali around too much, Hale quickly caught up to the group just as they pushed open the wooden doors of the building. He could hear shrieks of fear as women rushed away from them, most likely thinking they were Daedra come to eat them. A sad frown found its way onto his lips as the thought invaded his mind with a vivid picture of death and destruction.

A young man rushed towards them and shook the every hand he could get a hold of. "Oh thank The Nine! You've finally come for us! I was beginning to wonder if we were left by those who had escaped!" he gushed, furiously pumping the arms of the unfortunate two whose hands were clasped in his.

"Is Martin here?" Hale asked loudly, hoping he had reached the town in time to save the heir to the throne. He could only imagine the results of failing this quest. The idea of a world like Oblivion was more than enough to send a shudder of dread down his spine. He was not forced to picture it for very long as a young man approached him with short, dark hair.

"I'm Martin, the local priest. Is there something I can help you with?" he asked, looking from Hale's dirt streaked face to the limp body in his arms. Concern flickered across his face as he closed the distance between them, gently prodding some of the obvious wounds. Magicka flowed through his fingertips into the bruised and broken skin, knitting the torn flesh back together and erasing the blemishes.

A groan passed through the Bosmer's lips and she suddenly flailed, jerked her body out of Hale's grasp, and landed on the stone floor with a grunt. "Stop touching me, dammit!" she snapped, lifting her head off the ground to give the guard a pointed glare. Her grey eyes narrowed in on the priest standing with a look of utter confusion on his face and snorted. "You're Martin?"

Martin nodded mutely, still trying to figure out exactly what was happening. He wasn't expecting thanks, but she seemed angry he had healed her injuries. "Yes, I'm a priest. Why are you looking for me?"

Hale looked at Kali and shook his head. He wanted to wait until they were alone to tell the priest he was the new Emperor. "We can talk after we get everyone out of here. There are some more survivors that have set up a camp down the road, near the base of the hill."

"Oh, and you're the new Emperor." Kali added, shrugging nonchalantly.

Martin looked at her and laughed a short, harsh sound. "Now is not the time for jokes." His hands planted themselves firmly on his hips as he looked down at her, looking much like a parent chiding their child.

"I'm not joking. We're taking you to Chorrol. Get ready to leave." she replied, getting to her feet and looking the Emperor in the eye.

Hale sighed and shook his head, knowing this suddenly got a lot more difficult than it was originally going to be. He nudged Kali and pointed towards the door. "You go make sure there isn't anything out there that will kill the remaining survivors once they leave." he ordered and was surprised when she complied without retort.

Kali turned and walked out of the building, glad to be rid of the feeling of her skin crawling. Something about Chapels was uncomfortable for her, regardless of the reason she was inside. If The Nine didn't want her inside, she couldn't really say she minded avoiding them.

Looking around at the sheer amount of destruction that had taken place, Kali let out a low whistle. She wouldn't admit it, but it actually scared her a little to think that so much could be put into shambles in such a short time. The idea of immense destruction was something she shied away from, preferring the much more controlled killing of those that deserved to die, or at least the ones she got paid to kill.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the chapel doors opened and the fearful faces of the survivors came out, eyes as wide as dinner plates. Hale followed the last one out, Martin in tow behind him. Not one person among the crowd looked happy to be alive, not even Menien, who had discovered his wife had been killed just before reaching safety.

"We're going to stay in the camp for the night and then in the morning we'll head for the Priory." Hale muttered as he walked past, leaving Kali on her own after the group passed through the city gates.

Martin cleared his throat, breaking the silence of the group. "So why do you say I'm the Emperor?" he asked, looking up at Hale. While he wasn't as short as Kali, he still wasn't able to look eye to eye with the guard.

Hale sighed and launched into an explanation, glossing over the assassination of his father. "And so we were sent to find you and bring you back to Jauffre." he finished and turned to see the shocked expression on Martin's face.

"I can't run a country." he replied, shaking his head. The idea of being a leader of a nation was enough to churn his stomach.

"You can and you will." Kali interrupted. She had caught up to them just in time to hear Martin and immediately felt a flash of anger. There was no way in hell that he was skimping out on his duty now that she had ventured into an entirely new world to save him.

The three were silent until they reached the camp where cheers rang out. Kali conveniently disappeared until the din died down, leaving Hale and Martin to be clapped on the back multiple times. They were ushered to a tent that had been cleared out except for three bedrolls and finally had some sense of peace

"I'm sorry, Martin. You have no choice but to take the throne at this point. There is no other heir, they've all been killed." Hale quickly shut his mouth after the last part and shook his head. "We'll keep you safe though, so don't worry about that. No one knows about you except Kali, Jauffre, and I."

"Yeah, and if you want to keep it that way, you won't touch me again. Got it?" Kali snapped, pushing aside the tent door to slip inside. She refused to take a seat on the open bedroll and instead remained standing.

Hale could see Martin formulating a response and decided to quell the argument before it escalated. "Let's all get some rest, I know we're exhausted." he muttered and pulled off his cratered chest piece. A sigh of relief was heard as more armor was removed and the smell of sweat was ripe within the cloth walls of the tent.

Kali wrinkled her nose in disgust and let in some fresh air. She didn't get nearly as comfortable as the two men did, both were quickly snoring loudly enough the dead in Oblivion could hear them, but she did sit down and stretch her legs out to rest. Her head rested against a support pole and eventually her eyelids fell shut.

* * *

**Author's Note: I do not own Oblivion. However, I did scream and dance when I saw Skyrim was officially announced. You can all bet I will be buying it. In order to spread so more holiday cheer, anyone who leaves a review gets a special Christmas themed oneshot with Kali and Hale sent to them in return. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hello everyone, I'm sure you all thought I had died and was never going to update again, but I'm here to prove you wrong! I apologize for how long it has taken to write a new chapter and I hope you understand this was hard to write. I had no clue what I wanted to do with this chapter and thus, I was writing with no direction. Please take it easy on me as far as content/grammar critique, it was difficult to work through this and I stopped/started more times than I would like to admit. Anywho, I own nothing except for Kali and Hale. Enjoy!**

**p.s.-There is a poll up on my page regarding the fate of this story. That's right, you all have input as to how this ends. Go vote!**

* * *

Hale sat up with a groan, every bone in his body felt like it was filled with lead. Muscles ached and burned whenever he even thought about moving them and the smell was unbearable. The entire tent reeked of blood and sweat, which wouldn't have been very bad if it hadn't been trapped all night long, fermenting into some hideous, invisible monster.

The Imperial guard reached across to move the tent flap and let in some fresh air when he heard something coming towards it. Quickly, he got to his feet and grabbed his sword; standing in front of Martin's sleeping body. If it were another assassin, he would be in a tough position fighting in such an enclosed space. Relief poured through him when a small hand parted the flap and a very familiar head came into view. The grey eyes that could be so unsettling were dull and the dark bags beneath them meshed with bruises to create a canvas of various shades of blue.

Kali looked at the sword in Hale's hands before raising an eyebrow. "At least you're showing a little more common sense. Nice to see you're learning, Bastard." she muttered before stepping fully inside the tent. Once the flap closed, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "You men smell rancid."

"Good morning to you too." Hale replied, rolling his eyes at the woman. He set the sword down in the pile of his armor and sat cross-legged as Kali unloaded a canvas sack of food. A flask was immediately set aside and Hale wondered if she had been dying of thirst all night. He chose not to question the elf, who was now handing him an apple and a square of cheese. One thing he had to make certain of before he ate was that she had acquired the food by legitimate means. "Where did all this come from?"

"I have gold." she replied, taking a large bite out of her own apple. Hale shrugged and quickly stuffed his mouth with as much food as it could hold. Once all that was left were crumbs, he glanced up to see a disconcerting smirk on Kali's face.

"What's that look for?"

The smirk grew wider and she shrugged. "Just because I have gold doesn't mean I used it. You just consumed stolen property. I'm reporting you."

Hale felt the food in his stomach churn uncomfortably, but before he could confiscate the stolen items, Martin sat up and received his own apple and cheese. "Wait its stolen-" Hale didn't bother finishing his sentence, because more than half the food was already swallowed and the other half was being ground between the new Emperor's teeth. "Never mind."

Martin sniffed and cringed. "You vile elf, you smell horrendous."

There was complete silence followed by a thud and a wail of pain. Kali was cracking her knuckles and Martin was clutching his shoulder and rocking back and forth. "You shut your mouth you disgusting excuse for a human." she replied, entirely content with herself.

Hale shook his head and wondered if the bickering between the two was going to continue all day. While he didn't mind Kali's punches aimed somewhere else than at him, he couldn't exactly deliver a beaten and bruised Emperor to Jauffre. "Both of you knock it off. Martin, you stink and Kali, you stink too." he declared and was surprised when he heard a scoff.

"I actually bathed this morning while you two pigs slept. Don't tell me I stink." Kali shook her head, sending water droplets in every direction.

Hale plucked at the front of his shirt and sniffed before recoiling. "Alright, I stink. I'll own up to that. Don't think I've forgotten about your theft this morning too. And assaulting the Emperor can be added to your list of transgressions. If my count is correct, you're already up to three years in prison. Don't make me tack on more charges."

An arched eyebrow was Hale's only response before the elf slipped out of the tent. He scowled and wondered who else there was left to rob when everyone in the area had just lost everything. Something made him glance at his pile of stuff near the tent flap and he growled. "That bitch took my coin purse." he grumbled through clenched teeth. Just for that, he fully intended to add up every single crime he could think of to her tally. And he'd get her put back in the cage. And he wouldn't feel bad about it at all!

"I don't think I like her very much." Martin mumbled, choosing to put his shoes on before standing and stretching. "Surely she is just cranky from lack of sleep?" he asked the guard, hoping for confirmation.

Hale paused putting on his armor to think. "In the four days I've been with her, she's either been cranky this entire time or that's the only way she acts. It's a tough call." He joked, pulling his metal boots on and wincing. Every action he made only aggravated the soreness within and he doubted it would fade any time soon. Pulling the breast plate back on involved the most muscle use and it was obvious. His movements were slow and choppy, the look on his face one of agony.

Martin on the other hand, was feeling just a light ache in his calves. He honestly couldn't fathom why Hale was acting much like a lumbering slug and decided it was a sign that he, as Emperor, was of a superior build. Of course, a he had to ignore the nagging voice in the back of his head that whispered he was acting entirely too haughty for no reason.

The men exited the tent cautiously, careful to avoid catching any of the beggar's eyes, Hale felt incredibly guilty as people, bruised and battered even more so than he, crowded around him asking for a single coin. As he refused more and more distraught faces, the anger at Kali intensified. If it weren't for her sticky fingers, he would have handed out all of his gold.

Martin got off lucky with the beggars because they simply assumed he had nothing to give. After walking to the very end of camp where Kali was spotted standing next to three horses, he turned about to address the crowd gathered behind him.

"Fear not good people of Kvatch! I, Emperor Martin, vow to provide aid to all of the survivors as soon as I take my place on the throne. This I solemnly swear, by my royal ancestors." he shouted to the bewildered people. Upon hearing his impromptu speech, the crowd dispersed rather quickly, believing the priest had suffered a mental break.

Hale rubbed a hand over his face after Martin was finished and groaned, causing Kali to smirk up at him.

"He's a keeper," she chimed in the most annoying tone she could muster.

The guard merely shook his head and mounted a no-doubt stolen horse. "Martin, get over here and stop talking. At this point you're going to get yourself killed or locked up." He ordered, gesturing at the steed next to him.

Martin turned to look at the two he now trusted his safety with and wondered what orders he could give on the ride to the Priory. All of this new found power was rushing to his head and he briefly contemplated if he had crossed the line. His ego said no, and so he cleared his throat. "Wench, at the next town, fetch me some ale." he ordered staring at Kali's back.

Hale glanced at the tiny woman on top of the massive horse and snorted. If he wasn't still angry with her, the whole day would have been comical. He rolled his shoulders and sighed as joints popped and muscles tensed before relaxing. The day had only begun and he was already looking forward to bed.

The orders from Martin certainly irked Kali, but she chose to take the path less traveled and ignore him. Until they reached the priory. Then she would split his head open and cut out his tongue. Her cold smirk grew as she pictured the horrified faces that would watch her assault the new Emperor.

When Kali would not reply, Martin huffed and set about ordering Hale. "When we reach the priory, draw me a bath. Get the woman to help you." He decreed and sat haughtily in the well worn saddle. His entire body was beginning to ache and after the horrific adventures of the day before, he felt justified in ordering something for his comfort to be done. He was the ruler after all. Despite his ego steadily growing larger and larger as more orders slipped through his lips, Martin felt guilty deep down for his sudden arrogance.

The guard nodded in response to Martin's order and rolled his eyes. If anyone was getting a bath drawn for them, it was him. He had saved everyone in the group at least once the day before. Where was his thanks and gratitude?

The next hour slipped away slowly with each person more and more agitated with every minute. By the time Skingrad came into view, Kali was homicidal, Hale was homicidal, and Martin was aching from head to foot. The three weary travelers stopped for a break and each let out a groan as they slid from their mounts.

Martin's legs promptly gave out as soon as they touched earth and he seemed content to rest on rocks and bits of horse dung. He managed to lift one tired arm and gesture towards a building. "One of you, fetch me some water."

Hale, who had just sat down on a small pile of old hay, grumbled. Just as he began to rise, a small hand pushed down on his shoulder and he glanced up. Kali was holding his coin purse in one hand and smirking.

"Can't get much without money." she commented.

"You seem to have no problems getting what you want, regardless of its cost." The guard replied with a roll of his eyes. He couldn't say he was unhappy to remain seated with his legs sprawled before him.

What seemed like only seconds later, he was woken up by a cool stream of water trickling down his face. "Knock it off." he mumbled, forcing himself into a seated position again. At some point he had drifted off to sleep in the hay and now smelled even more delightful than before. Kali handed him a cup filled to the brim and he guzzled it. She sighed and filled it once more from a silver jug before moving on to the snoring Emperor.

Martin was not treated so gently. He woke up to a sudden impact between his legs that made him curl into the fetal position. Confused, he looked around to find a pewter cup next to his leg. Kali kicked it into him again and he hissed in reply. Quickly, to avoid getting hurt yet again, he snatched it up and held it out expectantly.

Kali narrowed her eyes and snorted before bringing the jug to her lips. She had been planning on giving him a cup full, but now that he was looking at her like he owned her, she changed her mind. She gulped down the remaining liquid until there were only drops left. Only then did she toss the jug in Martin's direction. "You may act all high and mighty, but you are no better than the rest of us. Get your own water, dick."

Martin was left to sit where he was, mouth hanging wide open, as the other two mounted their horses.

Hale pretended to have not witnessed the scene and nudged his horse towards Martin. "Are you coming?" he asked, feigning innocence. He had a feeling remaining in the middle of this bickering would prove safer than choosing a side. In fact, he chose to be the first to begin walking towards their destination. Something told him it was going to be a very long trip.

A few hours later and salvation was in sight. All three travelers were seeing red and on the verge of murder yet again. Kali had taken to lagging behind, slipping off her horse to gather small stones, and then catching up again to launch a small assault on the back of Martin's head. Each pebble hurled was accompanied by threats that she had every intention of seeing through. Castration, mutilation, and just about every other unpleasant thing ending in –tion.

Hale had mentally gone over every single day of the past week, wondering what he had done to deserve punishment from the Nine. When that yielded no results, he contemplated his entire existence. Some deed must have been evil enough to earn this torture.

Martin was just as mad as the other two, but had no way of intimidating them. Kali had been very clear the last time he had given orders that if one more word passed through his lips, she would beat him until his jaw was broken. The rocks hitting the back of his head every few minutes were a constant reminder she wasn't kidding.

As they finally neared their destination, Kali took the lead. The ache in her thighs was becoming close to unbearable and there would certainly be bruises as dark as midnight. Just as she slid gracelessly from her horse, a cloaked figure began charging at her. "Hale! Get Martin to safety!" she shouted, running on jelly legs for a low wall. She hurtled it and glanced around. Smears of blood were on both buildings and she briefly wondered if any of the brothers had survived.

Hale had placed himself in between Martin and the would-be assassin, brandishing his sword. He did not travel all this way in complete and utter misery only to have the source of his misery killed right before his eyes!

The cloaked figure came forward and was suddenly brought to the ground by a flying elf. She delivered blow after blow to the figure's head before looking up at the stunned Imperials. "Do something you idiots!" she shouted, snarling as the man she was on top of tried to rise. Fed up with preserving a life, her blade dragged across the attacker's jugular and in a spray of red, she turned and headed for the chapel.

Hale snapped out of his confusion and pulled Martin with him into the main house. Before he could even open the door all the way, an axe crashed down dangerously close to Martin's head.

Slamming the door shut on the offending arm, Hale glanced at Martin and gestured for the low wall. "Hide behind that. If someone is coming towards you and its not Kali or I, run as hard as you can and hide in the forest."

Martin grimaced at the orders, but did as he was told. However, he waited until after he had grabbed the dropped axe to hide. There was no way he was going to sit, alone and weaponless, in an ambush. "I'm not coming out if it is Kali." he mumbled before crouching down until he was hidden from sight.

The door was forced open from the inside and Hale staggered back. He recovered as quickly as he could, but not before a metal covered fist smashed into his cheek. The shock of the blow knocked him back again before he managed to get his sword in the air and crashing into his opponent.

With a roar, the empowered Imperial charged into the building, smashing his fist into the first face he saw. Drawing back, his hand again connected with a face and this time, he felt bones break under the force applied. This only fueled his desire for destruction. The Mythic Dawn agent fell back into the stairs, crawling backwards up them in order to recover. Hale never gave him the chance, instead he plunged his sword into the first soft spot on his target he could reach. The scream of pain fell on the deaf ears of a man enraged. Consumed with the urge to kill, Hale raised his blade again and again, each time creating another groan of pain along with the squelch of a body giving way. A splutter of blood spilled onto the dying man's lips and he whispered something that sounded oddly like 'forgive me'.

Realizing these were fellow men that he was killing, the bloodlust in Hale died and he stared, gaping, at what he had done. His hands shook and he felt his throat close off as he watched more blood trickled down a now ashen face. "What have I done?" he whispered. With a clang, his sword fell to the ground and he stared at palms slick with blood.

A noise attracted his attention and he glanced up in time to see another attacker round a corner. The urge to fight was gone from the defeated guard and he made no move to grab his blade. "Are you thinking of the lives you're ending? Of the children and wives that will never see their fathers or husbands again?" he asked, shell shocked by the sudden guilt he felt.

The Mythic Dawn agent advanced another step before the tip of a sword protruded low in his belly, spraying Hale with a fine mist of crimson. A lifeless body clunked to the floor and left Jauffre standing behind it. "You cannot think about these things now, where is the Emperor?"

Hale glanced out the door in a daze, too focused on the hot fluid sliding down his face and onto his lips. The invading taste of copper was making him physically ill at this point and his mind dealt with all the stress by shutting down. Years of guard training had not prepared him for such carnage, such violence. Sitting on the stairs next to the man he had killed in such a brutal fashion and placed his head in his hands.

Kali appeared in the doorway with a shaken, but unharmed Martin. She looked around at Jauffre, nodded, and set out to inspect the house in order to make sure there were no more invaders inside the house. Once content there was no one besides the three men in the entrance way, she returned. A glance at Hale and the body next to him let her know there had been a break within the guard, and that spelled bad news. The only cure for such a mental anguish she knew about was suicide and she was adamant this Imperial would not stoop to such levels in order to rid himself of the guilt.

Martin looked between his three protectors before sitting down next to Hale. "Thank you, all of you." he murmured, showing humility for the first time that day. "I owe you my life."

The moment would have been touching if Kali hadn't snorted. "Yeah, no shit you owe me your life, fucker."


End file.
